Bed Burial
by kazot
Summary: Casefic, Abby gets a surprise in her apartment, the pressure only intensifies as she becomes the centre off obsession of a serial killer. Will Ziva's help in the matter steer the previous enemies towards friendship? Meanwhile McGee has to deal with his still lingering feelings for the now distraught Abby, part of book 3 of my rewrite series.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer I do not own NCIS**

**A/N: I have mentioned it in other fics and put some teasers up for it but it's finaly here, this is one of the stories that belongs to my Rewrite series, which is a series of original case fic style stories that make their own timeline that diverges from canon after 'Kill Ari'. For more info check out my profile or the first chapter of 'NCIS rewrite teasers' which as the name suggests contains teasers for future stories in the timeline.**

**This is set in the latter part of season/book 3**

**Note: story isn't completely finished and the title is still temporary.**

Bed burial

Tony struggled to drag Abby into her apartment as she clung to him giggling madly, "You are firm." She giggled leaning on his chest as he expertly opened the door with her hanging onto him. "You must be very experienced with this Tony," Abby laughed, "dragging drunk girls into their apartments."

"You know I'd never do anything like that with you Abbs."

"Oh I know, I'm the luckiest girl in the world, I'm the only woman in the world Anthony DiNozzo won't have sex with." Abby giggled.

"Yeah well that ship sailed ages ago."

"But you have thought about it." She retorted with a grin.

"Yeah 5 years ago." He said mockingly.

"I knew it." She laughed, "So why didn't you? Was it Gibbs?" His non answer was answer enough and she burst out laughing, "Did he threaten you with a shotgun?"

"Something like that." Tony muttered under his breath as he dragged her towards the coffin and gently helped her inside, kissing her on the forehead and wishing her good night. "Night Abbs, I'll be on the couch."

"Goodnight Tony." Abby said before squirming a bit trying to make herself more comfortable only to bump into something, something large, something cold and when she turned to see what was next to her she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

* * *

"Just calm down Abbs." Gibbs said putting a comforting arm around her shoulder, "You just have to answer a few questions then we'll get you someplace to rest and sober up."

"Oh I'm sober Gibbs." Abby said hurriedly as she always did when in panic, "I'm not sure how I could not be after that." She said pointing to her bedroom where the rest of the team were working. "Besides Tony gave me his hangover cure, man that stuff works wonders."

"You sure you don't know the guy?"

"Never seen him before, Tony checked and he had no id on him, how the hell did he get here Gibbs? In my own apartment, in my bed."

Gibbs gave her a determined look, If anyone could find out Abby knew it would be Gibbs. "Tell me what happened last night."

"Well me and Alicia from the animal shelter went to this club."

Gibbs nodded, "Anything suspicious happen while you were there?"

"Besides the fact that the drinks where like way to cheap and there were no cute guys, no." Abby mused, "The music was good tough."

"Abby, was there a suspicious person? Someone getting too handsy or watching you?" Gibbs said getting angry at the possibility.

"Gibbs, it was a club of course there was someone handsy and people staring, but nothing unusual about that."

Gibbs didn't really understand but then again he made no effort to. "So what happened after the club?"

"Well I was a bit tipsy." After a glare from Gibbs she amended, "I was drunk and like I said there were no cute guys, at least that's what I thought Alicia was all up in this guy's pants. So I decided to leave and called Tony."

"You called Dinozzo?"

"Yeah I always call him for stuff like that, I've read too many horror stories to trust cabs that late at night when I've been drinking."

"Why not call me?"

"Because Tony doesn't judge and look at me like he wants to ground me." She said with an accusing look, "He just makes sure I'm alright and feel safe and then crashes on the couch."

* * *

"I just can't believe out of all people Abby would call you Tony, You would be the last person I called." Ziva said sketching the scene: a body of a rather large man in a tuxedo laid peacefully in Abby's bed or coffin in a rather appropriate pose, with his hands folded on his big belly.

"Ouch that hurts officer David, I would never take advantage of an intoxicated woman," Tony said as he took pictures, "unless I'm intoxicated as well, of course then it's not taking advantage but just giving into our primal states of lust." He said grinning saucily at her. "Do you really think so low of me or are you afraid you couldn't resist my charms and keep your hands off me in such a state."

"Mossad training allows me to stay focused and rational, even under influence and you Tony, would never be a rational choice." She bit back.

"Why didn't she call me? I'm trustworthy." McGee said as he looked around for things to bag and tag.

"You think I'm not trustworthy Probie?"

"No it's just …." McGee stammered trying to take back his accidental insult to the senior agent, and failing, much to DiNozzo's delight.

"No girl wants to be drunk in her apartment with her ex, McGee."

"Wait Abby and McGee?" Ziva asked looking between the flustered McGee and the next room where abby was still being interviewed as ducky and palmer came from there to join them in the bedroom.

"Oh yeah when the Probie was still fresh on the team, I'm surprised you haven't noticed. The incredible sexual tension, getting closer each time a case gets hard, it's so obvious really." Tony said nonchalantly causing McGee and Ducky who had just joined them to share a meaningful look.

"Wow." Palmer said as he looked at the scene in front of him, "It isn't a myth, she really does sleep in a coffin."

"Yeah, you should ask Probie, he can tell you all the details about it." Tony teased causing Tim to groan in annoyance.

"Can you imagine coming home to your bed and finding a dead body in it." Palmer asked.

"I find it weird enough to find a living one into it."

"Only you could stumble into your bed and accidently find a girl in it." Ziva mocked.

Tony gave her a wide smile back, "I'm glad they aren't dead though, usually they are very much alive."

"It is oddly appropriate don't you think?" Palmer said reverting back to the matter at hand, "her bed being a coffin and all." They all gave him disappointing looks, "That was inappropriate wasn't it." They all nodded in respons.

"This is not as unusual as you think mister Palmer." Ducky said as he started his initial examination including taking the liver temperature, "The Anglo-Saxons would often bury their dead in beds, mainly young women of the nobility, they would lay inside a bed together with their jewellery and …"

"What have we got Duck?" Gibbs asked interrupting the story as he came back from interviewing Abby.

"Ah Jethro, this poor fellow has been dead for quite a while although he has been preserved somehow, I will know more including a time of death once I do a proper autopsy."

"COD?"

"I can not definitively say Jethro," Ducky said putting his arms up in annoyance, there are no signs of trauma, mister Palmer." He said turning to his assistant, "Help me move over our dearly departed." When they turned him over there were still no signs of trauma." We will have to do a tox screen if the poor girl is up to it." Ducky said.

"She will be." Gibbs said, "I'm taking her home to refresh a bit, Dinozzo take David and go to the club see if there's anything suspicious, McGee go to the Navy yard and do a background on our vic."

"On it boss." They chorused and the team got to work.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoined it! if you have any feedback feel free to share: do i have the right read on the characters? were the jokes just not funny? Etc... feel free to be as harsh as you like, fanfiction is a fun and effective tool to learn how to write and i hope you will help me along the journey.

Also i hope the concept of the rewrite series will become more clear over time cause i've done a horrible job at explaining it.

This part is so short because i'm on vacation right now and it was the only one part i had uploaded the rest is still on my laptop back home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.**

**warning: I know almost nothing about science and the like so everything Abby and Ducky says comes from a bit of research on the internet but mainly from my ass. Also I don't know shit about music but I assume Abby would like something like death metal? And I don't know if people used the term cardio or it was so widely known in 2005 since I was like 7 then. Also no offense to cat people just some jokes.**

_previously on Bed Burial:_

_"Oh I know, I'm the luckiest girl in the world, I'm the only woman in the world Anthony DiNozzo won't have sex with." Abby giggled._

_"Goodnight Tony." Abby said before squirming a bit trying to make herself more comfortable only to bump into something, something large, something cold and when she turned to see what was next to her she let out a bloodcurdling scream._

_"I'm taking her home to refresh a bit, Dinozzo take David and go to the club see if there's anything suspicious, McGee go to the Navy yard and do a background on our vic."_

and now the continuation:

Tony parked his mustang close to the club where he had a few hours prior picked up Abby. As they approached they could see the staff cleaning up the place through the windows and as Tony opened the door, he was met with some soft jazz playing the exact opposite of the loud blaring music he could here from outside as he waited for their forensic scientist to appear hours ago.

"Sorry we're closed." A pissed of looking man yelled even tough he was right in front of Tony.

"For us everything's open." Tony said flashing his badge with a smile.

"What do you want?" The man yelled, "You've already been and broke up the fight, what do I have to do with it now."

"It's not about a fight," Tony said, "although it looks like it was quite the party." As he looked around the room broken stools and glass everywhere he could even see one of the bartenders mop up some blood.

"Yeah remind me to never ever have a death metal band play at my place again those guys are crazy, I can't even hear properly anymore and all this damage is not worth the packed out crowd."

"This jazz is nice tough." Tony said admiring the soft tunes.

"Yeah but it doesn't bring a crowd."

Before Tony could even mention his love for Sinatra Ziva stepped in. "Have you seen this woman tonight." She asked showing a picture of Abby.

"Maybe." The owner said taking a close look. "As I said it was quite a packed crowd and one goth among death metal fans doesn't stand out, you're free to ask one of the boys though." He said gesturing to his employees who were still busy cleaning up the place.

One of the bartenders Joshua did indeed recognize her, "Yeah she was here." The young curly haired man said.

"Did anyone bother or harass her?" Ziva asked.

"Not that I saw but I only saw her when she came up for drinks, it was way too crowded to notice anything besides that."

"So you saw nothing suspicious, anything that stood out of the ordinary at all."

"Well her cute blonde friend was giving her drinks at quite the rate, if she was a guy I'd say she was trying to get into her pants, although it's the 21st century so that might be exactly what was happening." At that statement a stupid grin came up on his face.

When Tony mirrored the grin Ziva slapped him, "Pigs." She uttered annoyed, "This blonde how long was she here?"

"I don't know." Joshua said, "I never saw them apart and with he whole fight I can't say I saw them at the end of the party."

"Thanks, if you can think of anything else don't hesitate to call." Tony said giving him his card.

"So what do you think?" Ziva asked as they left the club blinded by the first light of the day.

"I think we should have a chat with Abby's good friend Alicia, whoever our killer is, he needed time to break into Abby's apartment and dump the body there and Alicia pumping her full of alcohol to keep her at the party is mighty suspicious."

"So you think she's involved?"

"I don't know Ziva, but I'm about to find out."

* * *

Abby had tried to wash away the sight of the body for almost an hour, she had stood in Gibbs's shower until the water turning cold had finally forced her out. She had seen death people before, lots of them, even secluded to her lab she was not detached from the horrors the team faced every single day. But this was different, this was her home where she was supposed to be safe from the deathly scenes she had to reconstruct or from the DNA she had to extract from lifeless blood, her home was a place free from death and destruction, at least it had been.

And the body, whomever he may be, she couldn't shake the feeling he had died due to her, because of her. She wasn't stupid, she knew the body had been dropped there for a reason, this situation made rule #39 seem like the most obvious rule of all, no way was this just a coincidence, not in her line of work. The only question was why? Why would anyone drop a body in her bed? Obviously to taunt her, to shock her, to scare her, but why? She didn't know, the only thing she knew was that Gibbs would find out and she would do anything in her power to help him, for that nameless man Ducky and Palmer had hauled out of her bed.

She couldn't stop picturing him, he was a bit on the chubby side and with a kind face, she could imagine him coming to the animal shelter looking to share the love that was so evident in his face with something. She held on to that thought and with renewed determination she went downstairs ready to help catch this sicko.

There she found Gibbs, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him as he watched her with questioning eyes. "You okay Abbs?" He asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine, that shower really helped,"

'It better.' He thought, she spent the better part of an hour under it.

"Abby I need to know if there's anyone, that's been threatening you or harassing you, someone whose been acting suspicious in any way."

"Uhm no, there's nothing like that." Abby bumbled.

"Abbs, I'll have McGee go through your phone records and your online mail thingies anyway. I'd much rather just hear it from you."

"You can't do that Gibbs." She tried to say but he gave her a glare that was usually aimed at Tony but never at her, it meant one thing, this was serious, Gibbs was serious and he would stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this.

"Ok there's this guy." She said, "We broke up recently, it wasn't even that serious but he didn't seem to get the message he keeps showing up at the animal shelter to talk to me and he keeps calling."

"This guy have a name?"

"Andy, Andy Dupree."

"And you're sure you don't remember our Vic?"

"No I haven't seen him before." She said before she let out a loud sigh, "Now I can't stop seeing him."

* * *

Okay this can't be so hard, can it? McGee thought, Gibbs wants a background check, to do a background check, he needs a name, to get a name he needs to run DNA since the fingerprint search came up empty, to run DNA he needs to know how this machine works.

After some fiddling and following the dummy's guide he managed to run the DNA through the database, now waiting to find a hit he started thinking who would want to hurt Abby. She was so hard to hate, she volunteered at the animal shelter and habitat for humanity, she spent her Sundays bowling with nuns after church for God's sake.

All in all Abby was much easier to love then hate, a fact that he was well aware off. This brought his thoughts to the leftover possibilities, an ex-lover maybe? A list that Tony had so kindly reminded him that he was a part of, to his dismay, rather not thinking about the unsavoury sorts Abby usually went for he thought of a professional reason to go after Abby instead of a personal one.

So he quickly pulled files out of the database of criminals that were convicted with help of Abby and cross-referenced them with criminals that were recently released from prison. And there was one name that stood out, Enrique Hernandez, former staff sergeant in the marine corps convicted of raping private Marianne Shultz, Pacci had been the lead agent and Abby had provided the forensic evidence, the man's condom had been retrieved and combined with the DNA from the skin underneath the private's nails from when she had fought back had been enough to convict the man, with Pacci gone and the man losing both his job, his wife and his kids it was conceivable he would go after Abby.

* * *

Gibbs and Abby walked out the elevator and onwards towards the bullpen when they heard the director shouting at them from the mezzanine overlooking the squad room. "Jethro my office please."

Gibbs turned towards McGee who was working at his desk. "McGee take Abby down to her lab it's best if she isn't alone right now."

"I'm fine Gibbs, I'll just get to work." She interjected refusing to look weak.

"Don't worry, I won't intervene, I'll just do my searches next to you." McGee said guiding the reluctant Abby towards the elevator as she huffed and puffed her annoyance.

"Fingerprints came up empty, so I tried to run a DNA test and I'm pretty sure I got it right." McGee said as they stood in the elevator.

"You touched my babies?!" She asked shocked.

"I needed a name Abby! And I followed the dummy guide to the letter." He said as they arrived and left the elevator.

As soon as Abby set a foot in her lab the search dinged, "Wow this must be what it feels like to be Gibbs." She said in awe before turning pale white. Samuel Warren, the kind face had a name and suddenly the situation was more real, the body had a life, A job as manager at McDonalds, no wife or kids but an elderly mother he took care of, no criminal record and never travelled abroad but donated Blood that's why The DNA came up but the fingerprints didn't.

"Are you okay Abby?" McGee asked putting his hand on the arm of the now frozen Abby as she read the man's file.

She shook herself out of it, I'll have to be, for Sam, Samuel had to be called Sam she decided, he looked too nice to not have a nickname.

McGee seemed to understand as he softly rubbed her arm before going to the computer next to her and getting to work.

* * *

"You don't usually say please normally you just take what you want." Gibbs said to Jenny as he reached her at the top of the stairs and followed her into her office.

"Well today has been less then usual if what I heard is correct, a body was found in our forensic scientists bed which happens to be a coffin." She responded arriving at her desk and sitting down.

Gibbs simply nodded.

"And I thought our cases had been weird." Jenny uttered.

"There a reason I'm up here? or do you just want to chitchat? The investigation's just started."

Jenny put on her glasses and looked at him anticipating a reaction, "I don't think miss Sciuto should work on this one, I'll have another forensic scientist brought in."

He glared at her clearly not liking the idea, "She's part of my team Jen, she can handle it."

"She's not a field agent Jethro, she's a scientist who found a dead body in her bed, the trauma from that alone should warrant her being pulled from this case."

"She's seen more then that Jen, a lot more. Besides someone wanted her to find that body so she's going to be involved one way or another and I know she won't just sit on the side-lines."

"Do you have to train everyone to be just like you?" She asked incredulously with a deep sigh.

"It seemed to have worked out for you, director." He said with a small grin on his face which she reciprocated.

* * *

"Should I pick the lock?" Ziva asked after Tony had been shouting for a good 10 minutes for Alicia to open her door, he was annoying enough at normal volumes, let alone the yelling he was doing right now, it seems Alicia's neighbours agreed as she had to explain multiple times that they were in fact federal agents.

"We're here to question her, not assassinate her in her sleep Zeevah."

She huffed, "Didn't Abby say that she met a guy at the party maybe she's at his place."

"Ziva, most women like to have sex in their beds." She gave him a you're an idiot look, "Well you aren't most women, that's for sure, besides it was a death-metal party, no way you go to his apartment who knows what you'll find." Images of pigs blood and the likes filled his mind.

It seems Tony was right because at that point a completely destroyed looking blonde in her pyjamas opened the door, "What!?" She asked clearly annoyed and agitated.

"Special agent DiNozzo, officer David, NCIS." Tony said introducing them as they showed their credentials, "We're here to ask some questions can we come in?"

"Yeah sure, I'm up now anyways." Alicia said rubbing her eyes, "What's this about?"

"Is it correct that you were with Abby Sciuto last night at a party?"

"Yeah that's right, me and Abby went down to this cool club down town, sick party. That's right, that's where I know you guys from! Abby works for you NCSI people."

"NCIS." Tony corrected, "But yes, Abby works with us."

As Tony was asking questions Ziva looked around for any signs of the mystery guy or any carnal activities of any kind.

"You see anything strange? Someone harassing her or watching her, maybe getting too handsy."

"Not that I can think off and we were together most of the night, Abby didn't really seem interested in any of the guys there and for the most part they seemed to respect that, you know us death metal fans get a bad rep."

"I bet you do." Tony said.

"Why these questions? anything happen to Abby after she left the party, I assumed she made it home okay I didn't really see her leave."

"She's fine, the dead body she found in her bed isn't."

"A body? In her bed? Oh my god."

"Well it's a coffin, but still, yes a dead body. Any idea why anyone would do that?" Tony asked.

"No, I've never even heard about such a thing happening."

"You volunteer with Abby at the animal shelter right?" Alicia confirmed with a nod. "See anything suspicious someone that seemed to interested in her?"

"No nothing of the like, Abby just helps find the animals the right home with the right people and they go on their way with a new family member."

"Abby mentioned you being with a guy last night I can't help but notice that you're here alone now." Ziva said.

"Well, Steve was a bit too drunk and puking all over and I didn't want to get puked on during sex, so I just went home alone." Both Tony and Ziva's face twisted in disgust at the thought.

"Speaking of being drunk, one of the bartenders told us you were quite adamant about making sure Abby got quite a lot of drinks in her." Ziva said turning the conversation away from unsavoury subjects.

"I just wanted to make sure she had a good time, you guys make her work way too much, she needs to loosen up from time to time and as you can see I had an equal amount to drink." Alicia said pointing at her ruined state.

"Well I'll leave you too it then." Tony said, "I can make you a hangover cure if you want, I just need some tabasco an egg and…"

"No thanks, I'll be fine." Alicia said her face showing equal disgust to Ziva's.

"Thanks for your help and we'll be in touch if we have any more questions." Ziva said thanking Alicia.

"Abby will be alright, right?" Alicia asked when the pair started to leave.

Tony turned back towards her, "She will be, I promise." He said determined.

"Something smells fishy about her." Tony said as they left her apartment building.

"What? She smelled like cheap beer and even cheaper liquor." Ziva said getting into Tony's car.

"It's a saying Ziva, it means somethings not quite right about her story."

"At least you're right about that DiNozzo."

* * *

Down in autopsy Ducky was weighing the organs and telling tales to his young protégé as he dutifully wrote down the numbers. "Ah Jethro." Ducky greeted as Gibbs came in.

"What have you got for me Duck." Gibbs scaring Palmer off as he made way for the team leader.

"Not much I'm afraid Jethro, I can't be certain of the cause of death that will have to come from Abigail's analysis of the bloodwork that mister Palmer so kindly brought to her lab a while ago."

"No signs of trauma of any kind?"

"No, none obvious, and I have scanned every part of his body for signs of needle marks if he did inject a poison of some kind it was either inhaled swallowed, or absorbed through contact with his skin."

"Is that all you've got, Duck?" Gibbs said looking a bit lost and disappointed, a slight shift in his expression only one who knew him as long as Donald Mallard could see.

"I am sorry Jethro but I can't give you anything conclusively, as far as I can tell he died of natural causes but how I would not know, his liver had clearly been taxed from an unhealthy diet that contained too much fat, he used to smoke but has quit for a long time."

"This doesn't seem like a natural death to me, Duck."

"It might be Jethro, not everything needs to be a sinister plan, it can just be a horrible prank gone wrong and this fellow has been death naturally and put into Abigail's bed to simply startle her."

"That doesn't sit right, this isn't just a simple prank there's more to this." Gibbs said resolutely.

"It doesn't have to be but if it Is I can not at the moment help you solve that mystery, I'm afraid."

"If it was a poison and you had to make a guess as to what kind, what would it be?"

Ducky sighed he hated making guesses or assumption's, he was a scientist, a doctor and such things could lead one down the wrong path just as much as it could down the right one but then again not everyone had Gibbs's trusty gut to guide them. "If I had to make a guess I'd say this poor fellow died from asphyxiation, his heart is a bit enlarged as you can see." He held up the heart for him. "When the body realises it's not getting quite enough oxygen to function it makes the heart pump faster in the hopes that if more blood gets delivered quicker more oxygen will reach the organs but if there is no oxygen to be delivered it will not matter, but the extra effort will cause the organ to enlarge even staying so, after death has occurred."

Gibbs contemplated his answer for a bit, "Thanks Duck." He said before striding off onwards to the lab.

* * *

"What have we got Abbs?" Gibbs asked as he came into the lab a Caffpow! cold and ready in his hand.

"He has a name Gibbs." Abby said looking downcast, no music was playing in the eerily quiet lab.

"Anything else?" He asked with a quiet soft voice.

"No I've just started on his clothes and the bloodwork, Just a name for now Gibbs, well it's not just a name, he's a whole person not just a body but we know who he is now." She said becoming more panicky and rambling as she went on.

"Calm down Abbs." Gibbs said as he put the Caffpow! down next to her and out his hand on her shoulder in a comforting grip, "Try to focus, deep breaths."

Abby exaggeratedly took 3 deep breaths, "Okay I'm good, more then good I'm more motivated then ever, for Sam, that's his name by the way. Samuel Warren, he's unmarried, no kids and has an elderly mother he took care off. That's all I have I just started on the forensics."

"McGee." Gibbs shouted!

"He works as a manager of a local McDonald's, his financials are all normal, has no weird withdrawals, payments or any bills to pay, I can't find a motive in his finances but I did find one somewhere else, someone who would want to hurt Abby."

When McGee didn't go on Gibbs shook his head, "I'm waiting McGee."

"Oh, yes." He bumbled, "Enrique Hernandez, he was in prison for raping a fellow marine, cost him his job and his wife and kids, it was investigated by Pacci and Abby provided the forensics, so with Pacci dead she's the last one he could get revenge on."

"Let's have a talk with this Hernandez then, when David and DiNozzo get back let them finish the background on our vic."

* * *

"On it boss." Tony said as he snapped shut the phone and walked out of the elevator. "They have a lead they're checking out, he wants us to finish off the victim's background."

"Should be easy enough." Ziva said as she slipped past him and into her seat at her desk.

It was in a way, but a very annoying one, Samuel had been reported missing a week ago and Tony had been on the phone with the officer that had investigated the report for a while. "Yeah well buddy, perhaps you want to go back to and explain how no action was the appropriate one to her and why her son is not sipping cocktails to not have to deal with her but in our morgue instead." Tony hung up the phone with a slam before falling back in his chair and pinching his nose. "You got anything?"

Ziva who had been watching attentively shook her head, "His employer was very happy with him and has problems replacing him, I went over McGee's assessments of his finances and they all seem fine, no weird or out of place payments, withdrawals or purchases. He doesn't have a criminal record, and has had an employment record for his entire life, never married, no kids, I can't come up with a reason to kill him."

"Well that's cause you're not a killer," She raised her eyebrows at him. "Well not without a Mossad license to kill."

She looked at him in confusion, "come on! 'Licence to kill', Timothy Dalton the worst bond, he get's his licence to kill revoked so he goes rogue to stop the bad guys."

"Tony Life is not a movie."

"Speak for yourself Ziva, mine has enough guns and babes in it that that I'm not so sure anymore." A rumbling of his belly cut off his musing to Ziva's amusement. "What I am sure about however is that I'm hungry and I know just the place to eat."

* * *

McGee knocked on the door of Hernandez's apartment and it was only a few moments until the man in question opened the door, McGee showed him his identification, "Special agent McGee and Gibbs NCI…" The door flew in his face as it was kicked, hard, forcing it in the opposite way of it's normal direction hitting the Probie in the face and causing him to fall, only to land on his senior agent.

"Sorry boss." Tim said as he struggled to get off of Gibbs and onto his feet.

"Just go after him McGee." Gibbs yelled in annoyance as Hernandez had run by them and onto the stairs. The younger man stumbled but then ran behind the former marine, gun at the ready. "Freeze or I'll shoot." Tim yelled but Enrique had already rounded the corner. Tim quickly followed getting a glimpse of the suspects shirt as he himself rounded the corner.

Steps flew before his eyes as he ran down them, doing his best not to fall and keep up. Why did this guy have to live on the top floor? When he reached the ground floor he saw Enrique slamming the door of the stairs room shut but McGee was gaining ground and he smashed his body into the door before it could close and ran after Hernandez getting closer and closer when the elevator dinged and a leg popped out making Hernandez trip and fall, and hard at that, flat on his face.

McGee almost tripped himself as he ground to a halt before the now on the ground Hernandez while Gibbs casually walked out of the elevator and bend down to cuff the moaning and groaning Enrique.

Tim was panting hands on his knees as Gibbs hauled up the suspect, "All those stairs for nothing."

"Not nothing, good cardio McGee."

"Yeah Boss." He said breathing hard, "Good cardio."

* * *

Tony and Ziva walked into the half-full McDonald's, it seemed not everyone lived on crazy  
Gibbs times and ate as irregularly as them, they were greeted by an employee at the till, "Hello what can I get for you sir, ma'am."

Ziva glared while Tony simply smiled, "A double quarter pounder with cheese for me," and then he flashed his badge, "and a talk with the manager for the lady."

Tony was eating his cheeseburger, more like devouring it as he took great big bites before easing it down with some coke, his enjoyment clear as day on his face, as Ziva looked on in disgust and slight astonishment as she wondered what else he could do with his mouth.

"Uhm should you be eating during this? Isn't this an official part of your investigation?" The assistant manager asked or rather temporary manager as he got temporarily promoted since the actual one was now in Ducky's morgue, he was a boy really, traces of acne still present on his face as he trembled by the mere presence of a federal agent eating a cheeseburger, it was clear in Tony's mind that he was a McGeek and a bad case of one, his natural habitat consisting of playing videogame's in his boxer down in his mom's basement as she brings him Cheeto's and Mountain dew while his dad forced him to get a job.

Tony held up his hand, assuring the boy that everything was under control as he gulped loudly a large peace of burger going down his throat as he reached for his coke to take another sip and gestured for Ziva to start talking as he continued his battle with the meat and bread.

Ziva shook her head at his antics, "What can you tell us about mister Warren, what was he like?"

"Well he was very kind, he wasn't strict at all he let us extend our lunchbreaks all the time. He didn't really talk with us much, just about his cat really, she's really cute, he carried a picture of her in his wallet."

"Did his behaviour change recently, did he seem worried about something, easily agitated, anything like that."

"His cat had been sick a few weeks or so and he was mad at his ex about it for some reason."

Ziva frowned a bit at that piece of information while Tony finally finished his burger. "That ex have a name?"

"Not that I know, unless she-devil counts." The boy sniggered.

"I think we're done here, thanks for the burger." Tony said putting down some dollar bills, a nice tip for the McGeek included.

* * *

"Got anything for me Abbs?" Gibbs asked as he came into her lab dual wielding a coffee and a Caffpow! as she franticly turned towards him.

"Gibbs! I've tried every common poison from simple bleach to cyanide, nothing! It has to be in there, whatever killed him should be in there."

"If it's In there you'll find it." Gibbs assured her. "Anything on the clothes?"

"No they are very clean," She sighed, "nothing that suggests the body's been to any particular location."

"Thanks Abbs." Gibbs said kissing her cheek, "And don't worry, you'll find it."

* * *

"Hello! Mrs. Warren!" Tony yelled as he knocked on the door for the millionth time. His knuckles must be strained by now if not his voice Ziva thought as they spent the entire day pestering people to open their doors.

An elderly Woman in typical flowery old woman clothes opened the door. "Young man, be patient while I get my glasses." A minute past before she came shuffling back to the front door to read his identification. "DiNozzo." She read aloud, "An Italian." She spat as if it tasted bad in her mouth, "I knew an Italian once, all he did was try to get in my knickers, and he succeeded, the bastard. God I was so young and beautiful back then." She said nostalgically, "I loved that man, the things he could do."

Tony had an utter look of disgust on his face luckily Mrs. Warren's eyesight was too bad to notice. Ziva just smiled and let her continue, enjoying the tortured look on Tony's face.

"What does a nice young man like you want from an old woman like me?"

"Uh we're NCIS agents we have some news..."

"NCIS." She interrupted, "What the hell does that mean?! it's just a bunch of letters!" She ranted, "All these letters, all these companies these days need to be letters now, back in my day we had nice long full names for things, we weren't the USA but the United States of America, it all went wrong with that jimmy carter fellow I tell you."

"It stands for naval criminal investigation service ma'am, we investigate crimes involving the navy and the marines." Tony explained.

"The navy! what the hell do i have to do with the navy?" She demanded.

"We have some news about your son, I'm sorry but his body has been found." Ziva softly and kindly said.

"So he's dead then." She asked bluntly.

"I'm afraid he is." Tony said.

"Well, at least he isn't sipping cocktails in Hawaii like that officer Blakely thought, I raised a good boy who would never abandon his mother."

Ziva and Tony looked stunned at her.

"Guess I'll have to pay for his funeral and everything won't I. On a pension like mine." She huffed,"If they give the government control of everything at least let them help an old lady like me out. "

"We're very sorry for your loss." Tony said at a loss for words at her reaction to it.

Ziva however was a bit more composed, "We'd like to ask you some questions if that's all right. "

"Ask away you're probably the only visitor I'll get this month and with Samuel gone now, they might as well just bury me now, why take the hassle and wait."

Ziva decided to ignore the last statement, for her own sanity, "Has there been any strange behaviour from him lately."

"Besides disappearing and ending up dead? No."

"Anyone he had any problems with?"

"You should talk to that harlet of a ex of him, such a witch of a woman, no respect for the elderly anymore, not like a nice young man like you agent DiNozzo." She said with a smile full of fake teeth. "They had been fighting about the cat again, she'd gotten sick and Sam blamed her, and rightly so, my Sam took care of things, I raised him after all."

"What's her name, this ex of Samuel?" Tony asked trying to get away as fast as possible, a look of horror clear on his face.

"Lea, Lea Powalski, horrible name for a horrible woman."

"Thank you that will be all." Tony said to her with a nod.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay a bit, come inside for a cup of coffee." Mrs. Warren asked trying her best to look kind but failing miserably.

"I'm afraid duty calls." Tony said with a fake awkward laugh as he rushed out and away from the building.

* * *

McGee was watching from observation as Gibbs walked into interrogation file ready in hand.

Hernandez looked up from where he was fidgeting with his hands on the table, "Look before you say anything, I understand that what I did was wrong and you'll have my full cooperation with the investigation."

If Gibbs was as surprised as McGee he didn't show it as he calmly walked up to the chair and set down. "So you confess?"

"Yeah, I do, it was wrong, but I really needed the money, I lost everything man and no one wants to hire you once you've done time."

"So who payed you to kill Samuel Warren?"

Enrique freaked out, "What?! I didn't kill nobody! I just moved some drugs but I didn't shoot nobody!"

"So you don't recognise this man?" Gibbs asked holding up a picture of Warren.

"No! never seen him before and I certainly didn't kill him." Hernandez said shaking his head.

"And this woman." Gibbs asked, this time holding up a photo of Abby.

Enrique shook his head again, "I don't know any of these people man."

"Well you should know her, she testified at your trial, she provided the forensics."

"Oh." Enrique said taking another look, "I see now, she's a lot different with the pigtails and goth stuff. Look, it was a hard time everyone lying about me, stabbing me in the back. "

"Lying? So you still hold up you're innocent?"

"Of course I am, she just didn't want to face her husband after we did it. Lied to everyone telling them it was rape. We both just had some things to drink and she's always checking me out, so we both knew she wanted it."

"She had skin from you under her nails from fighting you off."

"Listen man, she just liked it a bit rough so I gave it to her like that, all these lies with DNA and stuff it's just to make me look bad, it can't possibly be that she's lying right?" He spat.

"Is that why you did it? because she proved just what a monster you are." Gibbs roared slamming the table.

"Look I did my time even tough I'm innocent, I didn't shoot this Warren guy or the goth lady I just moved some drugs. I'll tell you everything I know about that I just can't go back to prison."

"Here write it all up for me." Gibbs said tossing him a pen and paper the pen falling off the table forcing Hernandez to pick it up as Gibbs left interrogation fuming.

"You think he did it boss?" McGee asked stepping out of observation.

"Nah, he thinks Warren and Abby got shot and he's not smart enough to be acting that. Give the drug case to balboa, tell him we didn't touch the apartment and to not give the scumbag a deal, let him rot in prison for another while."

* * *

"Miss Powalski, officer David, agent DiNozzo, we'd like to ask a few questions." Ziva said as the woman finally opened the door, she was quite large to say it politely and Ziva was sure it was one of the only times she'd seen Tony's eyes stay on a woman's face.

"What's this about?" She asked not opening the door just keeping it open and blocking it with her large frame.

"Samuel Warren, we're sorry to inform you that he was found death this morning."

"Don't be." She sighed, "I knew he was death from the moment he didn't come and pick up Fuzzles for the weekend."

"I assume Fuzzles is the cat which we've heard so much about?" The woman nodded her response, "So you took care of it for him? I don't really understand the cat situation." Ziva said.

"Fuzzles is a she, not an it." Lea said getting agitated, "She's a very good girl and Sam and I agreed we'd share custody, he'd get the weekends and I the week since I work from home."

"Shared custody?" Tony asked incredulously, "like in a divorce? with a child?"

"Fuzzles needs care." The woman huffed. "She has a very particular diet and needs some attention at least twice an hour." It seemed the cat heard its name as the creature that took after it's owner, in being slow and much rounder then a living being should be came next to lea and nuzzled her face to her leg all the meanwhile purring. With some difficulty Powalski bend down to scratch behind her ear earning her some delightful purrs in response. "She's a delight isn't she."

"She certainly is, miss Powalski, did the arrangement ever bring about friction between you two, surely you both wished to care for such a delightful little creature." Ziva said trying her best to stay polite and act along like it was normal.

"She's the only thing that kept us together those last few months, we decided to keep going for her sake but that evil witch he called mother just kept driving us apart until it was too much, always talking bad about me behind my back and telling him he could do better." lea snarled. "And yes it was hard letting go of Fuzzles but Sam loved her as much as I did and Fuzzles loved him too so it was the best for her really, if she could see us both."

"So your problem was more with his mother then Samuel himself?" Tony asked.

"Oh Sam was a nice man, too nice really, let his horrible mother manipulate and use him, she lives in his home and off his money, she doesn't clean or help out with any chores, I'm not sure she's going to survive without him, not that anyone cares."

"Besides his mother was there anything else that was a bad influence on Warren, something that could get him in trouble, shady friends or inexplicable money?"

"No, no nothing like that, Sam avoided trouble like the plague."

Tony cringed at the use of words so Ziva quickly took over, "Thanks you miss Powalski, we'll be in touch if we need to ask anymore question."

The woman had lost all interest in them, turning to her cat she said, "Come Fuzzles let's go back, my program's coming up."

Tony shuddered as they headed away down the little path towards their car, "That's exactly why I never go with chicks with pets."

"As if her cat was the reason you wouldn't go with her." Ziva said rolling her eyes. .

* * *

Gibbs looked up from the report he'd been writing about the interrogation when Tony and Ziva walked back in. "Anything?" He asked as they gathered in front of his desk.

"Seems a well liked guy, no one mentioned any troubles of any kind." Ziva reported.

"Ex might have killed him for 'full custody of the cat' as they call it, but I have trouble seeing how she'd manage to get the body in Abby's bed or why, I don't think the victim's angle is the way to go, any luck on the Abby angle? Her friend from the shelter feeding her drinks all night is mighty suspicious."

"No." Gibbs said resolutely, "Hernandez didn't do it, and we work every damn angle we can find DiNozzo, until this case is closed but not now, it's late and I'm taking Abby home, get some rest as well, I want you three on prime form tomorrow. We'll investigate Abby's friend and her persistent ex then, no point in knocking on doors now."

McGee quickly packed his things to follow the duo who still had all there stuff on them as Gibbs went down to the lab.

* * *

This time when Gibbs went into the lab Abby was on full alert, "Gibbs!, It's not cobra or rattlesnake, I've tried most common snake venoms but I'm working on the more rare ones."

"Let's go Abbs," Gibbs said calmly, "it's time to go."

"I can't Gibbs, I have to find it. For Sam."

"It's been a long day, you can't go on Caffpow! forever."

"You're one to talk." She huffed looking at his millionth coffee of the day.

"I'm going home too Abbs and your coming with me. There's nothing for us to do here now, come back tomorrow with a fresh look."

She lowered her shoulders and moved towards him, he opened his arms and she nestled herself between them. "I don't want to fail him Gibbs."

He kissed her on the side of the head as he tightened his arms around her, "You won't Abbs, you won't"

* * *

Abby didn't know where she was and for a moment she was frightened until she could hear familiar steps on a familiar set of stairs. Gibbs opened the door and light poured through the darkened spare room. "Ziva went and got you some clothes and other things you would need." He said as he offered her a military looking backpack that must be Ziva's. She must have fallen asleep in the car on the way there, the caffeine finally wearing off and the exhaustion catching up with her, she didn't really know what to say. "Gibbs I …"

"It's fine Abbs." He said with a small smile, "You get some sleep, I'll be right here."

* * *

It was a ringing that woke her the next morning, an incessant sound until she could hear a grumble and the device being forced open. "Yeah Gibbs." The grumbler said and when Abby opened her eyes she noticed Gibbs sitting there on a large recliner faced towards the door, a blanket the only comfort he had and his gun on a little table beside him the only protection they needed.

"Is everything alright?" Abby asked as she sat up in bed, in her skull clad pyjamas that Ziva had brought her.

Gibbs looked at her with a sad look and sighed, "There's been another body, it had your business card on it."

She sighed and let her arms fall down in defeat but despite it all she got up to get ready, she had a job to do, and she was more determined then ever.

_To be continued._

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed, and apologies for the wait. I promised this a while back in another fic and I had it fully written but then I got an idea and suddenly things had to change and another 4k had to be written atop of that but I think the result is a lot better. **

**I'm not really satisfied with this chapter since it's bit meandering around uselessly but I tried to make up for it in humour and I think I failed but after reading a joke you made 5 times you obviously get sick of it so I don't know if It's bad or that's just me.**

**FEEDBACK: I'm going to ask for specific question's for feedback cause I plan to write at least 10-20 of these stories (casefics in Rewrite series) so the better I can make them the better it is for all of us if you enjoy them. **

**1\. the individual segments are they too long? Too short, does it feel like the story snaps too much from one place to another? **

**2\. in a lot of other casefic stories I've read the pacing is really slow which makes it unreadable to me, while I myself try to make it fast paced and light like the show, do I succeed in emulating this?**

**3\. how was the length of this chapter? I feel like this was the most natural cut-off point but did you lose interest halfway and want smaller chapters, or did you want longer chapters? (sadly dumping an entire story in one go like an episode is not really option cause the more times it spends on new the more views it gets and I want as many people as possible to read it of course).**

**Schedule: I'll stop promising hard dates now but I'll just tell you what I'm actively working on, I have a Tony leaving for Rota called simply 'Rota' fic up and the next chapter will contain Smut which will be the first time I've written such a thing, then I'm also working on the other Rewrite stories but I will wait to start uploading them until this one is finished, also I have some teasers that happen late in the Rewrite series coming up that contain some Tiva so check out 'NCIS Rewrite Teasers'. And for fans of 'A Plague A babe and a bastard', I have finally fallen back in love with that fic and come up with a satisfying ending and I'm aiming at releasing it this Friday but no hard promises cause I promised that ending 2 months ago :)****.**


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